


Night Terrors

by ddotmac



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Canon-typical language, Nightmares, S4E13, dadvid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-19 09:26:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20654927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddotmac/pseuds/ddotmac
Summary: Max has a nightmare after Space Kid's campfire story.





	Night Terrors

Max woke up screaming.

It wasn't the first time this had happened, of course, but it was the first time at camp. He'd been around this block before. Not enough times to see it coming, but enough times that, well, he knew for a fact that nobody would help him, and that he could tough it out the rest of the night alone.

This would have been fine if it wasn't for Space Kid, who startled awake and also screamed, flailing for a moment before getting his bearings. "Are you okay, Max?" He gasped and a delighted grin spread across his face. "Did you have a nightmare because of my campfire story??"

Max glared with exhausted, burning eyes. "No," he snapped. "Don't be a dumbass. I was just giving you a taste of your own medicine."

"Oh!" Space Kid exclaimed and chuckled. "That's pretty clever. Hey, where are you going?"

Max was already shucking on his hoodie and leaving. "Gonna get some air," he said, with a false confidence that Space Kid definitely couldn't see through. "I can't believe you actually thought you scared me."

He walked around the campground for a bit with hands shoved deep into his pockets, thinking, _well, getting in trouble's not exactly a worse outcome, and what nobody knows won't hurt 'em. _He breathed in and out deeply, trying to calm his erratic heartbeat, but eventually he realized that the long shadows of the trees and the dark reflections in the lake were not doing him any favors and he groaned, heading back towards his tent. _What the hell's wrong with me?_

As he continued, trying to snap himself out of it, he found that he'd wandered to the counselor's cabin without even thinking. He rolled his eyes - _you know what they say, misery loves company_ \- and knocked on the door.

To his surprise, David was at the door in seconds, still wearing day clothes and looking a lot like he hadn't been sleeping at all. "Is everything okay, Max?" His eyebrows lowered sympathetically.

Max shrugged his shoulders and glared at the floor. "I dunno. Just can't sleep. Why are _you _awake? What's eating you?"

David tactfully ignored the venom in his voice and smiled softly. "I'm okay, I've just been catching up on some work." He looked over his shoulder into the cabin. "I don't know if we should come in here, Gwen's fast asleep, but I tell you what. I find that sometimes when I can't sleep, it helps to have a snack and do something relaxing like reading a book or going for a short walk." He shrugged. "You know, get your mind off whatever's troubling you."

"Oh my god, I'm _fine," _Max groaned. "I just can't get to bed. Nothing's wrong with me."

David laughed. "Well, I never thought I'd see the day when a kid turns down a granola bar, but--"

"If I take it, will you shut up?"

A few minutes later, they were sitting on the dock, each with a granola bar in one hand and a juice box in the other. "So why exactly are you giving me snacks?" Max asked, gazing into the middle distance and trying to pretend he wasn't terrified.

"It makes more blood go to your stomach," David responded without missing a beat. "So there's less blood in the head, and you can fall asleep easier."

"That sounds like bullshit."

David closed his eyes, enjoying the breeze over the water. "Well, I don't see you complaining."

Max grumbled into his granola bar and didn't say anything else. They sat in silence for several minutes, listening to the lap of waves against the boats. "That was some story Space Kid told, huh?" David said after a long moment. "I didn't think he had it in him."

"Yeah, right," Max scoffed exaggeratedly. "That was the most cliche thing I've ever heard."

David looked pointedly at Max. "I mean, it scared _me."_

Max laughed unkindly. "Then you're even more of a coward than I thought," he said, just a little too loudly.

"Well, different things scare different people," David said, kicking his legs back and forth so that his boots just barely disturbed the water's surface. "And there's nothing wrong with that. You know what I do when I'm scared?"

"I don't care."

"I usually go and hang out with Gwen," he continued. "Because it's nice to be reminded that I'm not alone." Max paused and looked up slightly at David, who was staring over at Spooky Island wistfully. "But she deals with things differently than I do. I think she was scared too, and when she's afraid, she wants to be by herself and process things in her own way." He grinned widely at Max. "Which is why it's nice that you showed up, so I didn't have to be alone."

Max rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, I guess you're lucky I couldn't sleep for whatever reason."

"I guess I am."

They were quiet for a bit longer.

"David?"

"Hmm?"

"...were you really scared of Space Kid's story?"

"Well, sure."

"I just--" Max fumbled with words and sighed exasperatedly. "There are so many fuckin' people who have tried to kill me this past summer, and the last thing I need is Space Kid making up stories where all of you become a part of that godforsaken laundry list. I feel like--I just feel like maybe I deserve to be a little scared about that." He tensed up with the admission, glaring into the black water.

David set a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "I can talk to him about it, if you want."

"Don't try to fight my battles," Max grumbled, jerking his arm away.

"I don't want you to see it that way," David responded calmly, setting his hand back down. "Think of it like.. well, everybody needs help sometimes, right?"

Max was silent.

"You're not alone, you know," he went on. "We're all here for each other. There's absolutely nothing wrong with needing help sometimes. You know, I'm an adult, and I still need help sometimes. You're helping me right now." Max didn't say anything, but David could see the way he turned his head slightly, listening. "If you really don't want me to say anything, I won't, but I don't want you to base your decision on how you think other people will think of you if you ask. Your safety and health are my highest concern."

Max laughed bitterly after a tense moment. "You know, my parents woulda just told me to go back to sleep and get over it."

David tamped down on the anger that flared up and instead said serenely, "Well, then it's a good thing you're here."

**Author's Note:**

> Edit 12/8/19: Apparently Max and Space Kid don't share a tent. Not sure why I thought they did. I'm a dumb.


End file.
